Finally Home
by xXxRandom KatxXx
Summary: Marik Ishtar will never forget the day his beloved girlfriend, Annie, disappeared without a reason, leaving only memories in her wake. But, 6 years later, she reappears, but she's not alone... With her, she brings a secret that will turn Marik's world upside down.
1. Chapter 1

_**I'm sure you are all probably wondering why on Earth I decided to up and move this story onto another account and start all over again. Well, I have a valid reason. **_  
_**I was reading back through this story, looking at the flaws and things that utterly irked me about this story.**_

_** I started this idea in november of 2011, I believe, I had newly turned 14, but had written most of the story months before. I found that my writing style and quality has improved. Also, I changed accounts as it is royal pain in the hindquarters to change accounts every time I want to write and I am a rather lazy soul.**_

_**On to the story! Review, my lovelies!**_

* * *

_ I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house_

_That don't bother me,_

_I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out,_

_I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while,_

_Even though going on with you gone still upsets me._

_Rascal Flatts ~ What Hurts the Most_

Marik lay in his bed, sighing softly. He pulled the sheets up to him, curling up in the bed that now seemed so terribly lonely. He let his lavender eyes flutter shut, listening to the steady drum of rain against the roof of his home, the sound echoing throughout the house.

He opened his eyes, glancing over at his nightstand, seeing the photo of the southern belle that had captured his heart, encased in a tarnishing silver frame.

She was smiling happily, sitting on the stairs to the house, a rusty-colored husky sitting on her left, while a midnight black husky sat on her right. Aquamarine eyes sparkled with a hidden mischievousness. Long chocolate-colored hair cascaded in a single wave to her waist, a slight curl to the end. Her wayward bangs were pinned to her head by a pawprint clippie he'd given her earlier that day.

It had been six years since the picture had been taken, but he still glanced at it every day, hoping he might one day get a glimpse of her again.

* * *

_There are days every now and again I pretend I'm ok,_

_But that's not what gets me._

Ryou had managed to coax him out of the house that afternoon, wanting to get his mind off of the woman he pined for.

The rather strange trio -consisting of Marik, Ryou, and a reluctant Bakura- walked towards a local burger joint, Marik chatting rather half-heartedly with his friends. He fell silent after several moments.

Ryou looked at the blonde. "Marik? You okay? You've seemed rather out of it."

Marik sighed. "I'm fine. I'm just... a bit depressed."

"Still hung up over that hick?" Snorted Bakura, who had been entirely silent for most of their trip, other than the occasional snippity remark.

Ryou smacked his Yami. "Bakura!" He scolded.

Marik said nothing, his eyes were locked on a brunette girl a few tables over. Her back was to him, she seemed to be reprimanding a child. He listened to her, amused, as the woman scolded the younger girl for staring.

"But mama! He looks so much like me!" Squeaked the little girl, pointing at him.

He got a good look at her, Light blonde hair, a shade darker than his own, aquamarine eyes, long, delicate lashes and a lightly sun-kissed skin tone. She wore a dark red sundress, with a matching ribbon in her hair.

The girl was right, the similarities were striking.  
"Kesi!" The brunette scolded once more, the blonde disappearing from view again.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Annie watched her daughter's brow furrow, chuckling in amusement as the tiny blonde furiously coloring away at an activity sheet she'd gotten from a waitress, her tongue pressed between her lips as she tried the color within the lines.

She looked out the window offhandedly, mulling over the day's events. She absent-mindedly twirled a lock of her now shoulder-length hair. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice her daughter looking over the seat at another table for several moments. Annie glared at Kesi.

"Kessandra! Quit staring at other people, it's very rude." She stated firmly, arguing with the other girl for several minutes before taking her hand and leaving, having finished their meal.

* * *

(Annie's POV)

I don't quite know what possessed me to go to Rue21 that day, I suppose I didn't want to go home just yet and face our boing day-to-day life, so I used the excuse that I needed to buy something for Amarantha, Kesi's cousin.

All I know is, one minute I was looking at a lace vest that would look very good on my niece and the next, Kesi had disappeared.

I walked around the clothing racks, looking around frantically for my baby girl, scared she had wandered off and was lost, or worse, had been kidnapped.

Imagine my relief when I found Kesi standing beside a white-haired man only a few years younger than I. The feeling was shortlived when I realized who my daughter was talking to. Ryou Bakura, best friend of Marik Ishtar.

Fuck.


	2. Chapter 2

Annie calmed the feeling of dread that resided in her stomach, churning the contents of her gut in a slurry of near-panic. The brunette worried her lower lip, trying desperately to come up with some fathomable excuse as to why she'd been gone for 6 years.

She finally gathered her courage, walking over to Ryou with roughly the speed of an elderly snail.

Kesi was the first to notice her mother, seeing the firm, but slightly nervous look on Annie's face, she paled. Her mother's rage was legendary, as was her 'cruel and unusual' punishments.

As Annie walked up, Kesi began to explain herself in a way that looked like a bad, albeit vivid, re-creation of walking into a spider web in the dark, highlighted by bouts of panting and hand signaling, which Ryou found rather amusing, after realizing that the young blonde wasn't having some sort of seizure.

Annie looked over her glasses at Kesi, her aquamarine eyes disapproving. "Kessandra! What on earth possesed ya t' run off and scare me half ta death?"

Kesi looked down. "I thought I saw that man that looks just like me. So, I tried to get a better look at him, but when I got there, he was gone, and Mr. Bakura found me and brought me to Mr. Ryou."

The brunette's eyebrows raised, looking around. She saw Bakura several paces away, looking at a leather jacket. Or rather, planning to steal it. She opened her mouth to comment, but decided against it. Ryou hadn't realized who she was with her glasses and shorter hair, muttering things about Bakura might blow her cover.

"Well, then. I thank ya and your... eh... brother for findin' my daughter, I'm afraid we must get moving." Annie stated quietly, resisting the increasing urge to inch away. If Ryou and Bakura around, Marik probably wasn't too far away. She had barely finished her silent thought when said blond approached. Annie's heart began to pound wildly, much to her dismay. She hadn't seen her blond lover in six years.

He, unlike her, looked nearly the same as he did the day she left. The same shaggy blond hair, cut in the same whispy layers, lavender eyes outlined with kohl. He hadn't changed in the slightest, walking towards her in one of the shirts she had always loved to see him wear.

Ryou seemed to notice her distress, his eyes had a glimmer of something that she couldn't place... Suspicion, almost. Marik was drawing closer. She swallowed hard, stuttering out a farewell, tripping over her words. Annie started walking away swiftly, hoping Ryou wouldn't notice her panic.

And ran straight into the door.

Of all the days to be klutzy, today was the worst possible moment. Really, who walked into a sliding door? She'd thought it had been impossible. But here she was, flat on her back, her forehead stinging as if she'd gotten the world's largest paper cut.

"Miss? Are you okay?" She vaguely heard Ryou ask, feeling someone gently lifting her back to her feet. She nodded shakily, trying not to embarrass herself more than she already had. "M'fine, just a little bump on the head." She muttered softly, using this as an excuse to put a hand on her forehead, shadowing her eyes. "Come on, Kesi." She called, walking out of the automatic doors and into the mall, disappearing into the crowd of people.


	3. Chapter 3

_The stars lean down to kiss you_  
_And I lie awake and miss you_  
_Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere_

Annie lay in her bed, the fluffy blankets surrounding her in a sea on midnight blue. The brunette sighed, trying to relax, having just put Kesi to bed, the fluffy bed easing most of her troubles from her mind. All but one, that is.

Her aquamarine eyes wandered to the ceiling, her mind wandered to Marik. Today had truly been too close, Marik could have spotted her, or had Ryou recognized her… Her eyes fluttered shut, she bit her lip in thought. Sometimes she allowed herself to slip into a fantasy of how things would happen if they re-met. Marik would love her and Kesi and they would become the family she had so desired since she was only a child.

Regrettably, her musings turned somewhat darker, as another possibility arose. What if Marik became enraged? He might try to take Kesi away from her. The thought made her shudder, Kesi was her only reason to keep living; without her daughter, she would be an empty shell.

She rolled over, trying to let the dark thought slip from her mind, falling asleep briefly, missing the feeling of Marik's arms around her, wishing he was there with her.

_'Cause I'll doze off safe and soundly_  
_But I'll miss your arms around me_  
_I'd send a postcard to you, dear_  
_'Cause I wish you were here_

* * *

_I'll watch the night turn light-blue_  
_But it's not the same without you_  
_Because it takes two to whisper quietly_

Marik sat on the steps of the porch, a place he and Annie used to sit and talk about the day's events. It seemed horribly empty, missing the loving presence and the sarcastic wit that had attracted him to her in the first place.

His lavender eyes wandered the the sky, seeing the sky starting to change to light blue, warning of the impending sunrise. He let a soft sigh escape his lips. The Egyptian idly looked at his hands, remembering how Annie would squeeze them when she was happy. He remembered how her fingers fit perfectly between his, her pale skin striking against his darker complexion.

Marik glanced at a puddle of dew-water that was settled on the porch beside him, seeing his reflection. Tired lavender eyes stared back at him, dark bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. His blonde hair was in a state of disarray, due to him running his fingers through it in idle thought. Sleep had evaded him for the last two days and it had begun to show. He shivered slightly, shifting his position. The puddle rippled with the movement, in a moment of chaos. 'Just like my mind.' Marik mused.

His thoughts returned to Annie, wondering what she was doing right now. Was she asleep? Did she think about him?

_The silence isn't so bad_  
_'Til I look at my hands and feel sad_  
_'Cause the spaces between my fingers_  
_Are right where yours fit perfectly_

_I'll find repose in new ways_  
_Though I haven't slept in two days_  
_'Cause cold nostalgia_  
_Chills me to the bone_

* * *

Annie awoke in the early hours of morning, somewhere around 3 AM. She stood, pulling off her blankets and getting from her bed. She didn't bother to put on a housecoat, her light blue nightdress was sufficient enough. She went outside, numb to the cool nip of October, sighing. She sat on her front porch, where Marik would sit beside her and they could idly chatter.

She'd bought this house on a whim, due to the spacious porch. It seemed that she had subconsciously remembered the good times they'd had on the porch when she'd purchased it.

Annie had moved from her tiny apartment in the heart of Domino to a country home outside the city, trying to own a home slightly reminiscent of her old South Georgia home, where her adoptive family- the Jonees- had raised her.

Her thoughts turned to the blonde that had haunted her dreams and thoughts, she gave a slight smile, not feeling so lonely, accompanied only by her memories.

_"Come on, Annie!" Grinned Marik, waggling his eyebrows._

_Said brunette snorted. "Hell no, I'm not getting on that metal deathtrap." She replied hotly, looking at the sparkling motorcycle before her as if it might rear up and bite her. Her eyes held an underlying tone of fear._

_Marik sighed, his girlfriend didn't care for driving at all, really. She did it out of necessity, but as her birth parents had been killed by a car accident, she had attained a lingering distaste for vehicles of any sort._

_"Don't you trust me?" Marik asked, hiding a coy smile. He'd either guilt trip her into getting on, or agitate her into it. Marik Ishtar did not take 'No' for an answer._

_Annie looked offended. "Of course I trust you, Marik, it's the machine I don't find trustworthy."_

_Marik widened his eyes innocently. "You don't like my baby?" He noticed her slight eye twitch. Good, it was starting to work, time to ramp up the dramatics. He put a hand to his chest, making is expression entirely serious. "You wound me, my love! Scorning my beloved child, calling her a machine!"_

_Annie facepalmed, a vein throbbing noticeably in her forehead. "Whatever. I'm not getting on that thing and that is final!" She began to walk away, oblivious to Marik's evil smirk, nor his striding up to her. She did, however, notice when he unceremoniously threw her over his shoulder and lugged her back to his motorcycle._

_"What the hell, Marik!? Put me down!** RAPE! RAPE!"** She yelled, struggling against him, now staring at Marik's ass as he walked. Though it was an attractive view, the blood rushing into her head dulled the experience._

_Marik let out a husky laugh, setting his now pouting girlfriend down on his 'baby'. "Au contraire, AJ, we know how willing you are."_

_But drenched in vanilla twilight_  
_I'll sit on the front porch all night_  
_Waist-deep in thought because_  
_When I think of you I don't feel so alone_

* * *

Marik set his eyes on the stars, before looking at the moon. Somehow, a sense of peace washed over him, it seemed as if things became clear. Why keep focusing on the life they could have had, living in a world of memory? Starting tomorrow he would live day to day, be thankful for the time he'd spent with her, but at the same time, building new memories.

For the first time in days, he felt his eyelids get heavy. He arose from his porch, walking into the home they'd once shared, sliding into his bed, under the dark sheets.

She had obviously moved on, so should he.

Right before he drifted off, he murmured a line from one of his favorite songs.

_When violet eyes get brighter_  
_And heavy wings grow lighter_  
_I'll taste the sky and feel alive again_

**_"And I'll forget the world that I knew_**  
**_But I swear I won't forget you_**  
**_Oh, if my voice could reach_**  
**_Back through the past_**  
**_I'd whisper in your ear_**  
**_Oh darling, I wish you were here."_**

* * *

**_Ah, how I love this song! It's Vanilla Twilight, by Owl City._**

**_Well, No, I'm not dead, despite popular belief._**

**_So, News:_**

**_I now have a drawing contest! A cover for this story, as mine fails epically. Pm me if interested and I will send a description of Annie and Kesi, if you would like. _**

**_You may now legally stalk me. My Facebook name is Annistasia Jonee. O.o Don't laugh._**

**_Also, all of my other stories are going on Hiatus until this one is complete. I'm going to work on one story at a time. _**

**_I may be making a sequel to this story. Maybe. Depends on how this one turns out. _**

**_Frankly, I make this crap up off the top of my head, so I need ideas. Badly. Pm, Review, I don't care, just help me out, guys. I beg you._**

**_ I worked my ass off writing this, so please review. ^_^_**

**_-Kat_**


	4. Chapter 4

Annie was violently ripped from her slumber by her phone's constant blaring in her ear, playing some music vaguely reminiscent of a woodpecker being raped with a ziptie, the obnoxious racket making her blue-green eyes flutter open. She glanced around the room, having not quite made the connection that her cell was going off. She groped around, half-asleep for her phone, without looking at her called ID.

"Kailah, I swear to god, this had better be good." Annie snapped harshly, having never been one to enjoy waking up early, especially on a Saturday.

But the voice on the other end wasn't the high falsetto Annie knew and loved. Rather, a deep, more masculine tone resonated in her ears, making her heart stop.

"Annie?" Came the disbelieving voice on the other end. "Is that you?"

In the next second, the phone dropped from the hand. She began to tremble, eyes wide. Her worst fear had been realized, he'd found her. Why hadn't she blocked his number!? Had he seen her in the mall? Her mind whirled with unasked questions, but through her confusion, she managed to lift the forgotten telephone, staring at if it would answer all her questions.

She put the phone to her ear with shaky hand. "M-Marik?" She breathed, afraid of what he might say.

* * *

He hadn't meant to call her.

What were the odds of her still having the same cell phone number, anyways? He'd called her multiple times when she left, but he'd never gotten an answer.

He'd meant to call Ryou and ask if he and Bakura would like to come over, but he'd accidentally clicked on her number by accident.

Perhaps the gods had finally heard his pleas? Was this turn of fate finally the answer to his prayers? Part of him was excited, that his love had finally picked up, he wanted to ask so many questions... but the other part of him, the darkest parts of his mind told him to turn away, to return to the numb abyss that was his shattered heart.

After all, wouldn't it be better spending all of eternity oblivious rather than find out her true thoughts of him? Could he truly hear the reason she left him?

"Annie?" His lips had a mind of their own, forming words before his brain could think about what to say, his tone absolutely incredulous. "Is that you?"

For a moment, he thought he'd imagined her voice. All was silent as the seconds crawled by, with no sound on the other end of the line. Maybe he was going insane, thinking he was hearing the voice of a woman that had simply vanished. He reached for the 'end call' button, but at the last possible second, the angelic voice graced his ears again, her tone unsure, much like a child who had been reprimanded.

"M-Marik?"

It was her.

It was no figment of his imagination. The woman he loved had finally responded...

A million questions bombarded his mind at once, unsure how to speak, but the question popped out of his mouth before he could stop it, like water bursting forth from a worn dam, shaping his tongue and spilling from his lips before he could stop it.

"Why?"

* * *

All it took was one word. The heartfelt confusion and underlying hurt caught her off-guard, making her heart wrench with a deep, lingering sorrow. In a instant, she was crying, feeling like a despicable excuse for a human being.

How could she have thought this was a good idea? To run away and hurt the only man that she'd loved unconditionally? To hide his own child from him, because of her own insecurities? All at once, guilt and sorrow crashed down on her, forcing her fingers to act without thought.

She hung up the phone, unable to speak to him right now She curled in on herself, assuming the fetal position, warm rivulets of tears dripping down her cheeks.

Her ears roared with the unbearable silence, shattered only by her frantic breathing and the occasional broken sob.

God, she'd been so very blind. Caught up in her fear of rejection, she decided to run from her problems and break her own heart before he could.

Wave after wave of emotion crashed into her like a freight train, she rose from her bed, clumsily shucking her clothes off and putting on a nice-looking outfit, but ran simply on autopilot , mind whirring.

What was she doing? What if she told him about Kesi? What if Marik demanded custody?

Millions of questions shot through her mind like a machine gun emptying of bullets, nearly driving her insane. Every fiber of her being told her to lay back down... turn away, ignore this feeling of obligation...

No.

She was done running.

* * *

_**YAY! Finally, the next installment of our favorite star-struck lovers. XD**_

_**Ahem, in other news, I am making a music video/ trailer for this story! It should be up by the next chapter. Hopefully.**_

_**Stalk me on Facebook (Annistasia Jonee), Youtube & DeviantArt (TheRandomestKatEver) and FictionPress (GothicBronyGal).**_

_**Are you guys as sad as I am that the story will be ending in a few chapters? :( Luckily, I'm going to make a poll of possible story ideas. **_

_**And I know this is a bit of a pipe dream, but maybe we can get this story to 20 reviews by the end? Come on! It's only a few more chapters! I promise I'll update more... *Begs* Pretty please?**_

_**Much love,**_

_**Kat**_


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